STARR, BART

born Jan. 1934, Montgomery, Ala., U.S. byname of Bryan Bartlett Starr U.S. collegiate and professional football quarterback and professional coach, who led the National Football League (NFL) Green Bay Packers to five league championships and two Super Bowl victories (196768). Starr was quarterback for the University of Alabama (Montgomery; 195255), completing 8 of 12 passes in the 1953 Orange Bowl victory over Syracuse and directing the team to a loss in the 1954 Cotton Bowl. He was drafted in the 17th round by the Packers in 1956 and played with them through the 1971 season. He became regular quarterback in 1959, the first season Vince Lombardi coached the Packers. A great leader and field tactician, Starr was particularly effective in postseason games: in six NFL title games, he completed 84 of 145 passes attempted for 1,090 yards with only one interception. His performance in his two Super Bowl games was outstanding, and he was named Most Valuable Player in both of his Super Bowl appearances. Four times a member of the Pro-Bowl team, he led the league in percentage of passes completed (1962, 1966, and 196869), passing yardage (1962, 1964, and 1966), and average yards gained (196668). In 196465, he attempted 294 passes without interception, a record that survived into the 1980s. After retiring as a player in 1972, Starr became an assistant coach for the Packers and, from 1975, head coach. His coaching success did not equal his success as a player, however, and the Packers dismissed him as head coach at the end of the 1983 season. He was elected to the football Hall of Fame in 1977.